The present invention relates to a dirt deflector overtravel mechanism for a digging boom assembly which permits the raising and lowering of a dirt deflector when the deflector is impacted by a rock or the like.
It is conventional in trenching operations to provide a dirt deflector in the area of the digging chain. The dirt deflector may be attached so that it does not move or a spring cushion may be attached to the dirt deflector. If the dirt deflector includes a solid connection, the deflector may be severely damaged if a large rock is thrown against it by the digging chain. A spring cushion assembly permits the dirt deflector to move as it is struck by rocks and the like, however, this mechanism is also subject to breakage and does not always permit sufficient movement of the deflector during impact.
Thus, the disadvantages of conventional dirt deflector attachments for trencher digging booms have resulted in the present dirt deflector overtravel mechanism which permits the raising and lowering of the dirt deflector when the deflector is impacted.